Hundreds of people packed Belleair Town Hall Tuesday night while the commission decided the fate of the historic Belleview Biltmore Hotel.
After nearly four hours of listening to residents voice their opinions on what to do with the Biltmore and the land it sits on, the commission voted 3-2 to postpone voting on a rezoning law that would pave the way for new development.
Most of the dozens of people who addressed the commission said they wanted to restore the hotel back to its original grandeur.
"Buildings like that don't come along every day,” said Carol Cortright. “When it's gone, it's gone."
The building closed in 2007 and since then, developers have come and gone, and plans have changed. Then in December, town leaders approved the idea of voting on rezoning, which could allow multi-family condos and single-family homes.
Tom DuPont lives right by the hotel and drives by the chain-link fence that surrounds it every day.
"I've lived long enough next to a building that's not habitable and I would prefer to see it torn down and developed," DuPont said.
Many say current owners have let the property fall into an even worse state than it was in when it closed years ago.
"I had a prospective neighbor come in and tell me about buying a house,” DuPont said. “He said if he wanted to live next to a prison, he'd buy on 49th Street next to the Sheriff."
"Buildings of that architectural significance show that when we were here, we did something great,” Cortright said. When you loose that, you have no trace of the past."
But whatever will eventually happen, it seems everyone can agree that there’s been enough talk and people want to see action.
"One thing's for sure,” DuPont said. “What my real preference is, let's do something."
Also on Tuesday, a potential buyer, Belleview Biltmore Partners, stepped forward saying it would buy the hotel and restore it.